The B.I.O. Bug Zone...Dedicated to experimenting with, and
hacking on, some nifty BEAM-based toys
The
Hasbro / Wowwee B.I.O. Bugs are a series of battery-powered
autonomous / remote-controlled robot bugs based heavily on the
designs of Mark Tilden. They are substantial beasts, measuring 25cm x
29cm (9.8" x 11.4") excluding sensors and weighing 0.492kg (1.08lbs)
in the case of the Predator bug.

The basic capabilities of these 2 motor walkers is considerable:
they can traverse surfaces as deep as shag carpeting (on full
batteries) with little problem,. They can perform a fairly sharp
turn, within 1.5x their body length, which is a fairly impressive
feat using only 2 motors! They broadcast and receive IR data via the
forehead / butt ports, and can recognize friend, foe, and IR
controller input. An additional transmitter is located on the rear of
the robot, leaving a blind spot only when the remote is aimed at the
mid-riff from an angle of about 110 degrees from the angle of
travel.

Here's what's available in this little corner of BEAM
nirvana...

Dave Hrynkiw's vivisection
of a red (Predator) B.I.O. Bug, great data for anybody
contemplating opening one of these critters up.